Actuator switch for revolver-type automatic gun



y 14, 1957 o. H. VON LOSSNITZER 2,791,943

ACTUATOR SWITCH FOR REVOLVER-TYPE AUTOMATIC GUN Filed March 5, 1954 INVEN TOR.

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00 mm mm Om 0N ACTUATOR SWITCH FOR REVOLVER-TYPE AUTOMATIC GUN Otto H.van Lossnitzer, Agawam, Mass, assignor to the United States of Americaas represented by the Secretary of the Army Application March 5, 1954,Serial No. 414,522

4 Claims. (Cl. 89-156) (Granted under Title 35 U. S. Code (1952), see.266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of anyroyalty thereon.

My invention relates to an electrically-fired revolvertype automaticweapon and more particularly to the mechanism for rotating the cartridgedrum of such a weapon.

A weapon of this type ordinarily comprises a receiver with a recoi-lunit slidable therein including a barrel and a cartridge drum havingindex rollers corresponding to the chambers thereof. The drum isrotatable on the recoil unit to convey the chambers to a firing station.An actuator slidably disposed on the receiver is biased to a batteryposition and the actuator is provided with an axial groove for batteryposition engagement with one of the rollers to retain the chambercorrespondingthereto in the firing station.

The actuator is disposed for operation in an index cycle from thebattery position responsive to discharge of a cartridge chambered inthefiring station. A pair of grooves oppositely curving from the axialgroove are consecutively connected to the axial groove during the indexcycle by means of a switch tongue for engagement of the curved grooveswith the rollers to rotate a drum chamber to the firing station. Q 7

The switch tongue is pivoted in the junction of the grooves for rotationduring the index cycle by means of a cam pin and a cam mounted on therecoil unit or on the receiver. The strain of accelerating anddecelerating the rotation of the drum is necessarily sustained by thecamand the tongue pivot and campins. Many gun failures have resultedfromthis-construction:

It is an object of my invention therefore to provide a simple,substantial, and efiicient device for rotating the drum of such aweapon.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for indexing thedrum of the weapon including a switching member that is directlysupported by the receiver of the weapon.

An additional object of my invention is to provide an indexing devicefor directly transmitting drum rotational forces to the receiver of theweapon.

Other aims and objects of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing description thereof.

In carrying out by invention an actuator having a groove with sidesdisposed axially for a portion thereof and curved outwardly at theirforward ends is provided with a tongue disposed for transversereciprocation responsive to a receiver cam and the tongue includesoppositely curved surfaces for projection between the curving sides ofthe axial groove. The curved surfaces guide the rollers into and out ofthe straight groove during the cyclic operation of the actuator and formoutletand inlet grooves with the forward ends for passage of the rollersthrough the actuator.

For a better understanding of my invention reference is made to thefollowing description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a partly cutaway elevational view of a revolvertype automaticweapon incorporating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view along line 2--2 of Fig. 1 with the tongue in the normalposition thereof for exit of a roller from the actuator; and

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the weapon with tongue in theposition thereof for entrance of a roller into the actuator.

According to the drawing, a weapon 12 is provided with a receiver 14having sides 16 and 18 and an end 20 substantially perpendicular to abase 22. A recoil unit 24 slidable on receiver 14 supports a barrel 26,and a drum 28 having spaced cartridge chambers 30 is rotatable on ashaft 32 journaled in recoil unit 24. Drum 28.is provided withtangential rollers 34 rotatable about axes in respective radialalignment with the chamber axes.

An actuator 36 includes channels 38 in engagement with rails 39 ofreceiver 14 for slidable engagement therewith and springs 40 engage end20 to bias actuator 36 to a battery position. An axial groove 42 ofactuator 36 engages a roller 34 in the battery position to retain thechamber corresponding thereto in a firing station in axial alignmentwith barrel 26.

The sides of groove 42 terminate forwardly in outwardly extending curves44 and 46 and a tongue 48having opposing curved surfaces 50 and 52 istransversely slidable on actuator 36 by means of a tongue slot 54 and aT-section key 56 of actuator 36.

Recoil unit 24 includes a cylinder 58 having a piston 60 therein with aplunger 62 secured to the piston for engagement with actuator 36.Cylinder 58 is connected to barrel' 26 through a passage 64. Actuator 36operates in a cycle in which gases from the discharge of a cartridge 68,chambered in the firing position, force piston 60, plunger 62 andactuator 36 rearwardly against springs 40. As the projectileof'thecartridge leaves barrel 26, the gas pressure drops and actuator 36returns to the battery position. j v

Receiver 14 is provided with a cam having opposing surfaces 72 and 74 onsides 16 and 18'respectively .for engagement with opposite surfaces 76and 78 of tongue48 respectively to retain the tongue in, the normalposition thereof shown in Fig. 2 when actuator 36 is in batteryposition. In the normal position of tongue 48,curves'50 and 44are spacedto form an exit groove for, engagement with rollers 34. As actuator 36slides rearwardly, tongue 48 remains in the normal position and curvedsurface 50 forces battery position roller 34 out of the actuator torotate drum 28. As drum 28 rotates, inertia forces of drum 28 aretransversely transmitted through tongue 48 directly to receiver 14.

As actuator 36 arrives at the end of the rearward stroke thereof, thefiring station roller 34 has cleared the exit groove and the succeedingroller 34 is being rotated towards actuator 36 due to rotational inertiaof drum 28. At the end of the rearward stroke, tongue 48 is displacedfrom surface 74 by engagement of curves 80 and 82 of tongue 48 and cam78 respectively. Wedge-shaped portions 84 and 86 imposed on tongue 48and actuator 36 extend curved surfaces 52 and 46 respectively and aninlet groove is formed therebetween for the entry therein of the rollersucceeding the battery position roller as actuator 36 is urged forwardlyby springs 40. The succeeding roller engages curved surface 52 tofurther displace tongue 48 for engagement of surface 76 with a surface72 of cam 70.

As the succeeding roller traverses the inlet groove rotative energy ofdrum 28 is transmitted through curved surface 52 to aid in returningactuator 36 to battery position. Transverse thrust of the adjacentroller 34 is transmitted through tongue 48 to receiver 14 to stoprotation of drum 28 by the time the roller is engaged by axial I groove42.

As groove 40 engages the succeeding roller, ramp surface 90 of cam 70engages curved edge 92 of tongue 48 to-return tongue 48 to the batteryposition thereof.

It is evident from the above explanation that the disadvantages inprevious weapons described above are overcome by app'licants devicesince transverse thrust due to rotation of drum 28 is directlytransmitted to receiver 14 of the'we'apon. Also, the actuator may be oflighter cons'truc'tion since the principal objects of the actuator ofapplicants invention are to guide the tongue and to maintain thechambers in the firing station.

While the foregoing is a description of the preferred embodiment, thefollowing claims are intended to include those modifications andvariations of my invention that are within the spirit and scope thereof.

Iclaim: V

1 In a re-volver-type automatic weapon including a receiver, a recoilunit slidably disposed on the receiver, a drum "having correspondingcartridge chambers and index rollers journale'd on the recoil unit toconvey the chambers to a firing station, and an actuator slidablydisposed for cyclic operation on the receiver responsive to discharge ofcartridges chambered in the firing station, a device comprising areceiver cam and a follower disposed for slidable reciprocation on theactuator and for engagement between said cam and the index rollers tocontrol rotation of the drumresponsive to the cyclic operation.

2. A revolver-type automatic weapon comprising a barrel, a receiver, arecoil unit for supporting said barrel slidably disposed on saidreceiver, a drum with corresponding cartridge chambers and index rollersjournaled on said recoil unit for conveying said chambers to a firingstation in axial alignment with said barrel, an actuator disposed forcyclic operation on said receiver responsive to discharge of cartridgeschambered in said firing station, means for rotating said drum includinga receiver cam and a tongue member 'en'gageable therewith disposed fortransverse reciprocation on said actuator and provided with surfaces forengagement with said rollers to rotate said drum responsive to saidslidable operation.

3. A revolver-type automatic weapon comprising a barrel, '6! receiver, arecoil =unit supporting said barrel slidably disposed on said receiver,a drum with corre sponding cartridge chambers and index rollersjournaled on said recoil unit for successively conveying said chambersto a firing station in axial alignment with said barrel, an actuatorbiased toa battery position and disposed for cyclic operation on saidreceiver responsive to discharge of a cartridge chambered in the firingstation, said actuator having an axial groove therein with sides havingportions constructed for battery position engagement with one of saidrollers to retain "the chamber corresponding thereto in said firingstation and outwardly curving forward portions, and means for rotatingsaid drum including a cam on said receiver and a tongue memberengageable with said cam disposed for transverse reciprocation on saidactuator and provided with curving surfaces for roller engagement tocontrol rotation of said drum responsive to said cyclic operation, saidtongue member being disposed to alternately form inlet and outletgrooves between said forward portions and said roller engagementsurfaces respectively to allow said rollers to traverse said actuator.

4. A revolver-type automatic weapon comprising a barrel, a receiver, arecoil unit supporting said barrel slidably disposed on said receiver, adrum with corresponding cartridge 'chambersand index rollers journaledon said recoil unit for successively conveying said chambers to a firingstation in axial alignment with said barrel, an actuator'biased to abattery position and disposed for cyclic operation on said receiverresponsive to discharge of cartridges chambered in said firing station,said actuator having pairs of axial and outwardly curved surfacesthereon for battery position engagement of said axial surfaces with oneof said rollers to retain the chamber corresponding thereto in saidfiring station, and means for rotating said drum including a cam on saidreceiver and a tongue for engagement therewith disposed for transversereciprocation on said actuator and provided with curving surfaces forengagement with said rollers to control rotation of said drum responsiveto said cyclic operation, said outward ly curved surfaces being disposedto form inlet and outlet grooves with said forward portions to directsaid index rollers into engagement with said curving surfaces to allowsaid rollers to traverse said actuator, said curved and curving surfacesbeing vertically extended adjacent the points of initial engagement withsaid rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS749,214 McClean Ian. 12, 1904 794,852 Clarke July 18, 1905 FOREIGNPATENTS 285,180 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1952

